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Hospital patient care has become hazardous to the patient's health. There must be someone, a family member or good friend, to oversee and monitor the patient's medical care. Learn how to prevent medical errors, medication mistakes, hospital-acquired infectious diseases, and much more. Reach the doctors when you really need them---every time. Navigate the hospital with confidence.

Critical Conditions is a step-by-step guide based on over 150 interviews with registered nurses, physicians and hospital staff, Ms. Ehrenclou's own experiences with hospitalized family members and hundreds of hours of research. It is a book for family members written by a family member who has been there. A reported quarter of a million deaths in hospitals nationwide were found to be preventable (The Fifth Annual Health Grades Patient Safety in American Hospitals Study, 2008). If someone has a parent, spouse, sibling or child in the hospital, they must get actively involved in the patient's care to prevent medical errors. Hospitalized patients are recovering and cannot do this for themselves.

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-Award-Winning Finalist in the Health category of the National Best Books 2009 Awards, sponsored by USA Book News.

-Second Place Winner of the Written Art Awards Fall 2009 Awards, in Nonfiction/self help.

"What are the chances you'll never have to be there for someone in the hospital? Zero. At some point you'll be called into life-and-death matters. Now, Martine Ehrenclou helps us all with Critical Conditions... Her concise guide includes a workbook to apply the rules to your own situation. It's a godsend!" --Annie Gilbar, Editor in Chief, Los Angeles Times Magazine

Hospital care is becoming hazardous to the patient's health. Wise words from medical personnel pepper the pages of Critical Conditions... based on more than 150 interviews with nurses, doctors, and other hospital staff, and the author's own experiences. --Publishers Weekly

An important book for family members of anyone who is in the hospital, or who is seriously ill. Ehrenclou distills the information she gained from interviews into calming, practical advice. --ForeWord Magazine

Critical Conditions: The Essential Hospital Guide to Get Your Loved One Out Alive is a recipient of the prestigious Mom's Choice Award for Best Health/Safety Book, 2010. The Mom's Choice Awards honors excellence in family-friendly media, products and services. An esteemed panel of judges includes education, media and other experts as well as parents, children, librarians, performing artists, producers, medical and business professionals, authors, scientists and others. A sampling of the panel members includes: Dr. Twila C. Liggett, Ten-time Emmy-winner, professor and founder of Reading Rainbow; Julie Aigner-Clark, Creator of Baby Einstein and The Safe Side Project; Jodee Blanco, New York Times Best-Selling Author; LeAnn Thieman, Motivational speaker and coauthor of seven Chicken Soup For The Soul books; and Tara Paterson, Certified Parent Coach, and founder of the Mom's Choice Awards. Parents and educators look for the Mom's Choice Awards seal in selecting quality materials and products for children and families. This book/product has been honored by this distinguished award. --Mom's Choice Awards, 2010

About the Author

Martine is an author and patient advocate. She has had several of her articles on hospital patient safety published in national magazines and newspapers and has been interviewed on numerous nationally syndicated radio shows. Martine is a monthly contributor to ParentGiving.com. She currently lectures on the topic of patient advocacy at hospitals and "How to Survive a Hospital Stay" at universities, organizations and bookstores. Martine has also had stories published in bestselling books, has written for newspapers and magazines, and with past businesses has appeared on national TV talk and news shows (ABC World News Tonight, Phil Donahue, Jenny Jones and more) in national magazines (Time, Inc., The Economist, and more) and in national newspapers (Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, Boston Globe and more.)

She received her master's degree with honors in psychology from Pepperdine University, Los Angeles.

More About the Author

Martine Ehrenclou is an award-winning author, healthcare advocate, healthcare writer, and speaker. Her newest health book, The Take-Charge Patient: How You Can Get The Best Medical Care, is the winner of 18 book awards and empowers readers to become proactive and effective participants in their own healthcare. Through her books, lectures, published articles and blog, Martine reveals insider information on how to interact effectively with medical professionals and navigate the healthcare system with confidence.

Martine regularly publishes articles on topics of patient empowerment, patient advocacy, patient engagement, patient safety, the partnership between physicians and patients, and other health/medical related issues. She has been interviewed on national TV and radio, for magazines, newspapers and websites, including NBC News, ABC News, CBS News, NPR, Prevention Magazine, Woman's Day, MORE Magazine, Family Circle, and many more.

She is also the author of Critical Conditions: The Essential Hospital Guide To Get Your Loved One Out Alive, which won 16 book awards. She received her masters degree with honors in psychology from Pepperdine University, Los Angeles and earned a certificate in patient advocacy from University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA.) She is on the board of UCLA Simms/Mann Center for Integrative Oncology.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

No one likes to think about being hospitalized, or of dealing with the hospitalizaation of loved ones. This is a book that answers those questions that you probably were afraid to ask or never thought to ask.

Based on interviews with nurses, doctors, social workers, and families, this is a serious book well worth reading for anyone facing the need to deal with any personal or family hospital experience.

According to Ehrenclou, "Hospitals today are institutions struggling to survive in an environment where authority is in the hands of insurance companies rather than patients and their families. Rapid advancement in technology makes ever more expensive treatments in wide demand. Nurses are more expensive and harder to find and retain. . . . Serious infections, which are often treated in hospitals, are inadvertently spread from one patient to another. All of these factors are serious impediments to the compassionate care and good outcome we all desire when hospitalization is necessary."

Every patient needs an advocate or an advocate team, especially if he or she is elderly and impaired. The advocate serves as his or her "loved one's eyes and ears," establishing contacts with doctors and nurses. Responsibilities include keeping track of the patient's medications, allergies, symptoms, treatment plan, diet, and a myriad of other things.

It is the advocate's duty to catch patient name errors (to prevent similarly-named patients from getting someone else's treatment or medications), insist on pain management, and speak up if something appears wrong.

Of course the problem is doing all these things without insulting or seeming to second-guess the doctors, nurses, and hospital administrators. Infinite tact and understanding are required.Read more ›

Critical Conditions: The Essential Hospital Guide to Get Your Loved One Out Alive by Martine Ehrenclou, M.A. is a valuable book. The probability that an individual will have a close friend or family member in the hospital is great and this book can help the patient and them survive the ordeal.

Hospitalizations generally increase anxiety for patients and those close to them. Family members and friends are often faced with questions such as, "Who should I talk to about my loved one's medical care? What decisions might we have to make while my loved one is hospitalized? What resources are available? What types of problems can we anticipate?" Critical Conditions provides a practical map to maneuver through the medical maze and get answers to these important questions.

Critical Conditions is a well-organized resource based on more than 150 interviews with families and medical professionals. The first half of the book addresses the basics of advocating for someone who is hospitalized, from the beginning to the end of their hospital stay. Ms Ehrenclou clearly explains the roles of the primary nurse, physicians, and other hospital personnel. She points out the correct people to speak with about specific concerns and suggests questions you should ask them. Although respectful of the medical system, Ehrenclou is realistic about its shortcomings and emphasizes ways to prevent common medical errors, infectious diseases, and fatal falls (one of the major causes of hospital deaths). Cultural issues, medical directives, and discharge planning and aftercare are also covered.

The second half of Critical Conditions provides an indispensable workbook and journal.Read more ›

Martine Ehrenclou has performed a vital public service with the offering of this book. For those of us who have had to become a patient advocate in the past, we know how overwhelming that role can be.

Armed with this book and the knowledge it contains, anyone can be a more effective overseer of a loved one's care while hospitalized, and even during convalescence. As the author notes (p. 59) "You are the eyes and ears for your loved one. If you take on the job as advocate, your loved one will be much better off for it".

The author was moved to write this book after multiple hospitalizations of her own family members. She spent hundreds of hours interviewing doctors, nurses, hospital social workers, psychologists and other medical staff.

Her goal was to provide understanding, advice, and direction for those who need it. It is sorely needed, as dealing with the many aspects of an illness and subsequent hospitalization can be extremely stressful, not only for the patient, but for the family members and friends of the patient.

In the book's introduction, Ehrenclou relates her own story of being confronted with her mother's acute pancreatitis, a very serious illness. Her mother was in ICU in a hospital in Colorado. The author had to get on a plane in Los Angeles, and fly to her mother's side. She writes (p.1) "My mother's care was in the hands of doctors and nurses I'd never met, and I didn't know the first thing about hospitals, procedures, treatments, or medications. I certainly didn't understand my role in her care".

She then asked the nurse in charge, to explain the diagnosis. She gave a cryptic definition, and suggested that Martine speak to her mother's internist.Read more ›